Which turntable? Pro-Ject or VPI?


Which would you choose in equal condition?

Pro-Ject "The Classic" (original version) with carbon fiber arm

OR

VPI HW19 Junior with RB300 arm

Thanks for your advice.

J

128x128durr3

Between the two choices, VPI all day every day.

The ad listed is a great deal. I’d jump on it myself but am happy with my current turntable. 

I own an HW-19 Jr and an HW19 Mk-1. The former was purchased new and the latter used from a fellow denizen of this forum.So, here are my thoughts;

 

I have a Möerch UW-4 tone arm on the Mk-1. I've retired but kept the Jr in the event I need a new motor (the Jr has very, very few hours). As far as I can tell, these sound essentially identical and they are very robust.

 

In other words and with the caveat of not being familiar with the Project, I have no hesitation about recommending the VPI in terms of durability and sound quality.  

 

I suspect you can't go seriously wrong with either of them but VPI seems to hold its value and, as someone has already noted, they're built to "mil-spec" standards. Plus, parts are readily available and there are upgrades galore!

 

 

Having stupidly owned a Project RPM 10 Carbon, I can vouch for the shoddy build quality. The tone arm wasn’t much better than the $400 Project Debut TT that proceeded it, including the same anti skating weight dangling from a bit of fishing line. 

You won’t go wrong with the VPI 19 Jr! Any part is still replaceable including belt, motor etc, etc.

VPI HW-19 JR (1993)

The beginning of the journey into High-End analog music reproduction starts with the HW-19 Jr. The Jr. is VPI’s most cost effective turntable. It combines the drive system of the MK. III & MK. IV, with a cost effective platter and subchassis, to give real value for the dollar.

The HW-19 Jr. features a six pound, one inch thick clear acrylic platter with a reflex record clamping system so effective that when the clamp is released, the record stays locked to the platter.

One of the hallmarks of the VPI playback system is proper mating of the record and the platter. Terminating the resonances excited by the stylus/vinyl interface is critical for lifelike reproduction of the low level nuances normally found in live music. In the HW-19 series of turntables, the resonances are terminated without vacuum, pumps, peripheral clamps, etc. Simple yet precise solutions are always the best.

All turntables must be isolated from the outside world. The Jr. uses sorbothane as the isolation material. The sub-chassis is set upon four sorbothane pucks that keep a large percentage of motor noise and acoustic feedback from reaching the platter and cartridge.

All the wood-finished bases are made from solid hardwoods. Veneer over particle board is never used. We use real oak naturally finished, real oak lacquered in semi-gloss black with the grain showing, and real walnut in a natural finish. As a premium option, a piano black high gloss finish is offered.

The Jr. uses the same drive motor as the MK. III, and MK. IV, a low noise precision AC Synchronous type with quiet bearings, and high torque. The drive belt is a unique pyrothane material that lasts many years with excellent serviceability. It has a round cross section for excellent speed stability and low noise. The motor pulley is machined from black delrin with a concentricity of +/- .0002".

The Jr. is fully set up at the factory and can be up and running in less than 10 minutes. If your Jr. is ordered with a factory mounted tonearm, all you need to do is install the cartridge.

  • 1” thick clear or black acrylic platter

  • Sorbothane suspension

  • 600 RPM AC synchronous motor

  • 1 piece 1” thick MDF plinth

  • Precision “O” ring drive

  • Hinged-acrylic dust cover